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News, notes, rumors, and gossip: Sunday, October 7, 2012 GAME DAY

HERE NOW THE NEWS

EXCERPTS FROM EXTERNAL NEWS ARTICLES REGARDING THE NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS ARE POSTED UNDER THEIR SOURCES. MISCELLANEOUS SPORTS ARTICLES ARE POSTED UNDER THE "MISCELLANEOUS" SECTION AT THE END OF THE THREAD. LINKS FOR ALL LISTED SOURCES ARE INCLUDED TO ALLOW MEMBERS TO INDEPENDENTLY BROWSE AT THEIR LEISURE.

3 MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Giants defensive ends vs. Trent Richardson
The Giants defensive ends are struggling to get to the quarterback — they have just 3½ sacks between them — but perhaps the most deflating aspect of the Giants’ loss to the Eagles last week was LeSean McCoy’s performance in the second half. McCoy had six carries for two yards in the first half and finished with 23 rushes for 123 yards. And McCoy did most of his damage on the edge, where Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck reside — 17 of McCoy’s 23 runs, for 91 yards, were recorded around the left or right end. The defensive ends often lost containment and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said they underestimated McCoy’s speed and need to set the edge better against the Browns. Trent Richardson isn’t as fast as McCoy, nor shifty, but the rookie is a dynamic runner and said he believes there are plenty of yards to be had on the edge." Read more...

This was on the practice field a few weeks ago, the Wednesday after the Giants’ Week 3 win against the Carolina Panthers.

Amukamara, last year’s first-round pick, had played nearly a complete game for the first time in his young NFL career. He had also finally satisfied a “rule” enforced by his elder teammates, that he was a rookie until one season and three games had passed.

So Jessie Armstead, the ex-Giants linebacker who is now a team consultant, kidded with Amukamara, pointing to where fellow defensive backs Rolle, Kenny Phillips and Corey Webster were kneeling down.

“What are you waiting for?” he said. “You’re part of them now. You’re a vet.”

Amukamara played along, prancing over to the middle of their circle." Read more...

Excerpt: "Safety Tyler Sash has not been activated by the Giants for tomorrow's game against the Browns.

Sash, who is coming off a four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances, would have had to be added to the 53-man roster by 4 p.m. today to play tomorrow. But the Giants did not make any roster moves today, according to a team spokesman.

They have until Monday, when their week-long roster exemption expires, to add Sash to the roster." Read more...

SITE LINKNEW YORK DAILY NEWS.Without Hakeem Nicks, Giants look for one more wide receiver to catch fire

Excerpt: "Kevin Gilbride knows he’s starting to push it, so much so that he knocks on wood when the subject of his patchwork receiving corps comes up. He loses a couple of receivers and Ramses Barden steps up. Then it’s Domenik Hixon. It’s just like last year when, out of nowhere, came Victor Cruz.

It’s a wonderful thing for the Giants’ offensive coordinator to have so many players taking advantage of their unexpected opportunities. But even he wonders when all the good fortune will run out.

“Collectively we’ve been able to get (performances from) guys that probably most people would’ve thought there would be a terrific or dramatic fall off,” Gilbride says. “There hasn’t been — knock on wood — so hopefully we can keep it going. You do reach a point, if you keep losing them, that’s the point of no return.

Excerpt: "Rushing the passer and stuffing the run have always been points of pride for the Giants defense. Now it has become a sore point, as the Big Blue defensive front has had trouble getting much heat on quarterbacks or containing running backs in the first four games of the season.

Browns rookie running back Trent Richardson took one look at what Eagles running back LeSean McCoy did to the Giants last week and determined that Big Blue could be taken when Cleveland lines up at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Richardson’s rookie bravado didn’t sit too well with certain members of the Giants, and that might be enough motivation for them to put the clamps down on the run against the Browns." Read more...

The Giants, as usual, had all sorts of problems with LeSean McCoy in Philly. The rookie Richardson, however, is a completely different runner. Where McCoy is slippery, Richardson is compact and strong, eager to deliver the blow. The Browns don't want to expose their rookie QB, Brandon Weeden to the Giants' pass rush so they're obviously going to try to keep it on the ground with a power running game. The Giants can stack the line but they're still going to have to tackle." Read more...

Eli Manning and Giants look to gain steam now that they are back on schedule starting with Sunday's game against Cleveland B rowns

Excerpt: "There is something about the Sunday afternoon game that has always felt right for Eli Manning. He can wake up and head right to MetLife Stadium, then jump into a game. It reminds him of his days as a kid in New Orleans, he says, when the Saints would always play early.

“You can’t beat Sunday at 1 o’clock,” Manning says. “That’s when you like playing football . . . You don’t have to sit around and wait for it.”

But Manning and the Giants have had to wait all season for a little bit of blissful normalcy. Today’s game against the Browns touches offa string of six straight Sunday afternoon games, the Giants’ first dose of regularity after an erratic early-season schedule.

The worst part of being the reigning Super Bowl champs? The NFL loves to showcase its finest teams in prime time, even if that does lead to murderous scheduling. The Giants played three of their first four games at night. Two of those games — the season opener on a Wednesday against the Dallas Cowboys and a Thursday Week 3 date in Carolina — were played during the week." Read more...

The Cleveland Browns (0-4) vs. the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants (2-2) at the Meadowlands, 1 p.m. on Sunday.

THE WEATHER:

Building the bridge from summer to winter, the temperatures in East Rutherford are expected to drop about 30-plus degrees from a high of 80 on Friday to a low in the 40s sometime on Sunday. The early kickoff forecast is calling for temperatures around 50 and steady rain. Raw.

WHAT IT MEANS: Two words: Trap game.

MATCHUP TO WATCH:

Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul vs. Browns LT Joe Thomas. The anchor of the Browns’ line hasn’t gotten off to a good start this year. Then again, neither has the “surprisingly slippery” Pierre-Paul (as Thomas called him). Pierre-Paul lamented his poor, un-fun start to the season and he sounded like a player determined to break out this weekend. Presumably Thomas will have lots of help, but if he’s left alone on Pierre-Paul it could be a long afternoon for QB Brandon Weeden." Read more...SITE LINK

Excerpt: "When it is brought up that the Browns are desperate to win a game, the Giants counter by insisting they are the more desperate team.

When the possibility of overlooking a team that has yet to win this season is posed, the Giants look at you funny and say, turn on the tape if you think the Browns are no good.

“This ain’t a slouch team. This team could easily be 4-0,’’ Justin Tuck, said on cue. “I think we’re gonna have to play our best game. This is a talented football team. They had Philly beat, they had Baltimore beat, they had four good teams beat, if you took one or two plays away in those games. I fully expect this to be a dogfight.’’ Read molre...

A: It’s just 11 men running down the field fast as they can, and 11 guys trying to get it in the end zone. You think about war, like how they used to fight when they’d just run at each other, that’s kinda like it is. It’s just so explosive like when you come out the other end. It’s just that feeling that you get.

Q: Describe that feeling.

A: You can’t describe it in words. ... It’s just when you break past everybody, you’re like, “Damn, all those guys are trying to tackle me and I just ran past ’em.” And it’s different than an offensive touchdown, I think on kickoff. Scoring a touchdown on that is a lot harder, then when you do it, it’s just a good feeling. ... It seems like the wind gets lighter when you get in front of everybody. You ever been in a hot room, and then somebody turns a fan on or air conditioner on? That’s how I feel (laugh)." Read more...

Excerpt: "Sunday at 1 p.m. is the preferred game time for most players. Eli Manning fondly recalls watching games as a youngster starting at noon in New Orleans, and as an NFL quarterback he prefers to get up and go play.

Sunday against the Browns marks just the second time in the first five games the Giants have an early-Sunday-afternoon kickoff after playing on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights. In their previous game at home for a 1 p.m. kickoff, the Giants came out half asleep, fell behind 24-13 at halftime and trailed 27-13 in the third quarter before using a 25-point fourth quarter to overtake the Buccaneers, 41-34.

“We’ve had a tendency to come out on a lull,” Justin Tuck said of the Giants’ performance at home in early-afternoon games. “I think we are kind of guarding against that this week.’’ Read more...

Excerpt: "They always tell you they know. They always tell you so-and-so is better than their record. They always tell you about Any Given Sunday.

And then they are revealed to be liars. The other guys show up and play with their hair on fire, and they do not. The other guys play with nothing to lose, and they play tight. Human nature has claimed another victim.

It’s the Giants and the Browns Sunday at MetLife Stadium, a old-school matchup that for historians will invoke memories of Jim Brown thundering and thudding into Sam Huff, of Pat Summerall in the snow.

This one isn’t likely to carry much historical significance. This one is the defending Super Bowl champions against what they have been trying to convince themselves is arguably the greatest 0-4 team in recent memory, led by a stud rookie running back (Trent Richardson) who in their mind’s eye may or may not be the modern-day Brown, quarterbacked by an almost 29-year-old rookie (Brandon Weeden) who never will be Otto Graham, but is improving every week — you bet he is, the tape doesn’t lie.

These are the kind of games that scare coaches like Tom Coughlin to death." Read more...

Excerpt: "Osi Umenyiora is in his 10th season and has played alongside plenty of talent from future Hall of Famer Michael Strahan to the youthful Jason Pierre-Paul. He knows excellence and he knows mediocrity and he knows the Giants defensive line hasn’t been living up to the lofty standards it has set for itself.

“There’s no excuses,” Umenyiora said yesterday. “They pay us to do a job. They pay us to stop the run and get after the quarterback and we have to find a way of doing a better job of that.”

Umenyiora will make $6 million this year. Justin Tuck will earn $4.8 million and Jason Pierre-Paul will pocket $2.2 million. But the Giants haven’t gotten much for their money thus far in 2012." Read more...

Excerpt: "The Giants have plenty of experience at plugging holes and replacing injured players. And with defensive tackle Rocky Bernard the latest to be ruled out for tomorrow’s game against Cleveland with an injured quadricep, Big Blue will need to ask some youngsters to step up and veterans to play out of position.

Inexperienced tackles Markus Kuhn and Marvin Austin will be thrust into key roles next to Linval Joseph, a 23-year-old somehow thrust into the unfamiliar role as seasoned leader. And defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck will likely be forced to play inside for several snaps." Read more...

Giants: Tom Coughlin cautioned his team just hours after dropping a heartbreaking 19-17 game in Philadelphia about taking the winless Browns lightly. "Don’t be misled by Cleveland’s record," he said, a warning magnified by the way the Giants recently have played at home against perceived inferior competition. They found themselves in a dogfight against Miami last season when the 0-6 Dolphins visited and gave Big Blue all it could handle. Considering what’s ahead on the schedule – a three-game stretch with road games against San Francisco and Dallas sandwiched around a home date against Washington – it’s imperative the still banged-up Giants put their best foot forward and come away with a victory." Read more...

Excerpt: "The myth became reality when Chase Blackburn took a seat in the linebackers' meeting room for the first time last November, bringing two spiral notebooks filled with six seasons' worth of details with him upon his return to the Giants.

"When he wasn't here, I heard, 'Chase this, Chase that,' and, 'Back when Chase was here, he used to do it this way,' " teammate Spencer Paysinger recalled. "I would hear it on special teams, too, and when he finally came in, I was able to see it for myself first-hand.

"First meeting back, he's asking five, 10, 12 questions, and it was like he'd never left. He came back ready, and for a rookie to see that, it sends a huge message and says a lot about who he is as a player and a person."

The high-speed, higher-priced game of the NFL was supposed to have pushed Blackburn out the door and into a classroom in his native Ohio by now.

Q: When you’ve been an NFL coach for 17 years, you’re inevitably going to have disappointing games like the 19-17 loss last week in Philadelphia, but you have the next game. At this stage of your career, is it harder or easier to move on from those games?

Coughlin: “It’s 10 times more difficult.”

Q: Is it really?

Coughlin: “Losing, it kills you. For whatever reason, whether there’s somewhere in your mind back down the road about having success…you just think, particularly based on our experiences, that when we’re in that position, we’re going to win. We had a minute and something left. We’re going to win the game. Now, to be honest with you, we always have our timeouts preserved and if we had one timeout in our pocket, I believe we’re going to win the game.

“Everybody wants to know about (the last) 15 seconds. Well, let me just tell you about the 15 seconds. With no timeouts, the ball cannot go inside. You’re not going to get another play off. We practice what we call 'cobra' all the time and 'cobra' means the guy who catches the ball gives himself up and declares himself down. You run up on the ball, but when we do it on the practice field, there’s no umpire. There’s nobody that has to put the ball down. There’s nobody waiting for the signal. Eighteen seconds – maybe you can do it. Maybe 15 seconds. I don’t care if it’s a five-yard gain, that’s the last play of the game.

“Over all the years of experience that I’ve had in this league, if you get to one play - I tell this to our defensive coordinator - you get to one play and the team has no timeouts, you’re going to have people stacked along the sideline. Now does that mean you don’t try it? No, of course it doesn’t mean you don’t try it, but what it means is the chances…there are two or three things that can go wrong. One is a pick if you’re forcing it. Two is if you don’t get out of bounds and three – you’re taking a chance. We’re right on the cusp of what his (kicker Lawrence Tynes) distance was. You’re taking a chance on anything happening. Of course, if you’re sacked, the game is over. If it’s a tip-ball interception, the game is over. Whatever it is. They know where the ball is going. You have to go to the sideline. So there’s risk involved in that, too.

“The third variable that people don’t think about is you’re on the road. If there’s anything in terms of management or anything like that type of a thing, it just doesn’t factor in the way you want to operate. My number one thing was we were going to kick a field goal to win the game. I was not going to put our team in a situation where we walk off the field, saying, ‘Well, we never really had a chance to kick it.’ Were we able to react well after the ( offensive pass interference) penalty? No. Obviously, we didn’t. That would have been the time for, and we almost did get it out of bounds when he scrambled and threw it up and it was right off (Domenik) Hixon’s fingertips, but those are the kinds of things that happen in a game like this.

“When we’re in that position, we believe we’re going to win. The other factor you have to understand is that if you normally send somebody out to kick a field goal on third down, the other guy is a little hesitant about what you’re up to. Which means there is a chance you may not get the rush they normally would have. Now, that’s not what happened. They came with everything they had, but there are people that will play that in a more conservative role because it’s third down.

“To your original question, which I didn’t spend any time answering, the losses are much more difficult to get over the further you are in your career. They’re killers. You don’t sleep. I went on that couch right there at 3 o’clock in the morning and I could not get to sleep because, to be honest with you, I kept going over, over and over saying, ‘How could I have helped our team when it was 15 seconds left?’ Of course, I’ve got all the scenarios the next morning. Sure, it’s easy. But who’s telling you a 44-yarder is an easy field goal? We had made two yards on a run and they know we’re throwing the ball.” Read more..

Limited Participation (LP) = less than 100% of a player’s normal repetitionsFull Participation (FP) = 100% of a player’s normal repetitionsDid Not Participate in Practice (DNP)Out = definitely will not playDoubtful = at least 75% chance will not playQuestionable = 50-50 chance will not playProbable = virtual certainty will be available for normal duty

Excerpt: "New York Giants second-year safety Tyler Sash had his season put on hold after he tested positive for Adderall, resulting in a four-game suspension. Now his suspension is over and he is eligible to play against the Cleveland Browns, but the coaches have decided not to activate him.

The Giants had until 4:00 PM EST Saturday to activate Sash, but it was reported that no roster moves were made. This could be a sign that safetyAntrel Rolle, who is questionable with a bruised knee, will play. The team has until Monday to officially add Sash back to the 53-man roster." Read more...

Excerpt: "There is absolutely no doubt that upon entering the 2012 NFL Season, New York Giants fans had set a high bar: Repeat. There is nothing wrong with that as Head Coach Tom Coughlin wanted to build on the strengths of how 2011 closed and the word continuity has been uttered more than fail has.

The concern at hand when setting sights so high is frustration can arrive faster than a waiver claim for a fantasy sleeper on a Sunday evening. Oh, that and some fans tend to seriously lose any ability to approach a situation with rational thought. Humor isn’t even close to being used and absurd and unfounded comments come through lips that usually part to scream pro-team clichés. Week 4’s painful loss to another division rival (the Philadelphia Eagles) created some ugly ogres – either that or Mr. Hyde came out early from many." Read more...

Excerpt: "The New York Giants (2-2) host the Cleveland Browns (0-4) at MetLife Stadium Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. Here is everything you could ever want to know about the game, and probably a whole lot more.[Giants-Browns game day hub]The Basic Stuff

Giants
1. Eli Manning -- If we are going to list key players every week we might as well just give Manning a permanent slot. He is the most important Giant, and pretty much always will be.

2. Jason Pierre-Paul -- JPP just wants to have fun. Lining up against Cleveland's three-time All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas can't be much fun, though. Expect Pierre-Paul to be on the left side lined up against Mitchell Schwartz with Justin Tuck inside quite a bit, especially with Rocky Bernard not playing today.

3. Stevie Brown -- Surprised by this choice? Brown played very well last week in relief of the injured Kenny Phillips, and will get the start this week with KP sidelined by his MCL injury. Jesse Bartolis tells us that Brandon Weeden and the Browns like to try for the home run down the middle of the field, so Brown will be tested." Read more...

Excerpt: "I missed last week's installment of where the scouts were, but for those interested New York Giants scouts were, according to Chris Steuber, at the Indiana at Northwestern game, the Clemson at Boston College game, and the South Carolina at Kentucky game.This might be entirely insignificant, but last week was the third time of the year the Giants went to a South Carolina game.

This week, according to Steuber, Giants' scouts are attending four games: UConn at Rutgers, Illinois at Wisconsin, Florida State at North Carolina State, and Nebraska at Ohio State.

Let's take a look at this week's games. I'm a big proponent of the Giants going heavy on defense in the upcoming draft and if they are looking defense early in the draft Florida State at North Carolina State offers a lot of potential picks." Read more...

Excerpt: "With a game against the Cleveland Browns coming up on Sunday, the New York Giants are without their star wide receiver Hakeem Nicks for the third week in a row. Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride has guys like Victor Cruz and Domenik Hixon to pick up the pieces, but there are other aspects Nicks brings besides his play on the field.

"You're losing a football player who's not only extremely important to what you do, he's invaluable just in terms of his leadership and his ability in the bigger moment to make the bigger play, so you lose that and you know that you're not going to make it up with one guy," said Gilbride. "What you hope is collectively the rest of everybody will contribute enough that you can make up for his absence to enough of a degree that you win the game. That's what you're looking for."Aside from Nicks' injury, Ramses Barden suffered a concussion last week against the Philadelphia Eagles and will not play.

That leaves the Giants with the rookie Rueben Randle, whose work ethic was called into question by NBC broadcaster Cris Collinsworth earlier in the week. Gilbride reminds everyone that Randle is young and he's improving." Read more...

Excerpt: "It has been an interesting journey for Giants safety Stevie Brown, a three-year veteran who will make his first start for the Giants this weekend in place of the injured Kenny Phillips.

Brown, a 24-year old former standout at the University of Michigan, began his NFL odyssey as a seventh-round draft pick for the Oakland Raiders in 2010. He played in 15 games with one start for Oakland, who waived him the following year.

He was picked up briefly by Carolina, who after a day, reconsidered. Somewhat dejected, but still not ready to give up on his dream of having a multi-year career in the NFL, the 5-11, 221 lb. safety packed up and headed for his father’s home in Indianapolis, where he spent about a week waiting to see what twist his career would next take.

As luck would have it, he got a call from the Colts, with whom Brown spent all the 2011 season. However, he was only active for eight games, as a quadriceps injury landed him on injured reserve." Read more...

Excerpt: "he Giants forced no turnovers and recorded just two sacks in their 19-17 loss to the Eagles last Sunday night.

They likely can't afford their totals in those categories to be that low this Sunday -- even against the 0-4 Browns.

Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and coach Tom Coughlin must figure out how to make life miserable for Cleveland's rookie quarterback, Brandon Weeden. And they won't have rock-solid safety Kenny Phillips (knee) on the field. " Read more...

Excerpt: "The Giants will look to get back in the win column this Sunday when they face the Cleveland Browns at MetLife Stadium. New York is coming off a 19-17 loss to in Philadelphia, where Lawrence Tynes' last-second field goal fell just short of putting the Giants atop the NFC East.

Running the ball was an issue for the Giants in Week 4, as they rushed for just 57 yards, tied for their third-fewest in a game since the start of the 2009 season.

The Browns are 0-4 to start the 2012 season and rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden has struggled, throwing three touchdowns and seven interceptions, the second-most in the league. Here are some areas to keep an eye on in Week 5:

• The Giants' run game was quieted by the Eagles in Week 4, as they rushed for 3.0 yards per carry, their fewest in four games this season. Rushing outside the tackles is an area where the Giants have particularly struggled in 2012, as their 63 yards ranks in the bottom third of the league through the first four weeks. In its two losses, New York has averaged just 1.5 yards per carry outside the tackles, compared to 4.5 yards on those rushes in its two wins. The Giants will be facing a Browns defense in Week 5 that has been stout against rushes outside the tackles, allowing 2.9 yards per carry, which ranks seventh lowest in the league entering Week 5. " Read more...

Excerpt: "Giants running back Andre Brown ran the ball very well when Ahmad Bradshaw got hurt early this season, but when Bradshaw was healthy enough to play again on Sunday, Brown went back to the bench. The Giants say that’s a reflection on Brown’s blocking.

Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride told theStar-Ledger that the Giants don’t trust Brown enough in pass protection, which is why he was limited to nine offensive snaps on Sunday against the Eagles. Brown carried the ball on five of those nine snaps, while Bradshaw was on the field for 58 offensive snaps and carried 13 times.

Brown said he knows he needs to do a better job pass blocking so that the coaches are comfortable with him on the field in passing situations.

“It’s all about gaining the trust and keep going out there every week and letting them know that I can pass-protect and picking up all my blitzes,” Brown said. “I just got to keep going out there and taking advantage of all the opportunities that I have and continuing to grow on that side of the game and keep continuing to gain their trust so they can leave me out there.” Read more...

Excerpt: "Michael Boley believes that one of the main reasons the New York Giants won the Super Bowl last season - and remain a solid contender this year in their eyes - is their depth straight across the board.Look no further than on the defensive line.

''You have guys who are willing to step up and fill in,'' said Boley, a linebacker who remains on the Giants' injury report with a hip problem. ''We have a lot of athletes on this team that can step up and play at any time. It shows the team's character. It shows that guys are always prepared.
''We have guys who know that this week could be their turn.''Marvin Austin and Markus Kuhn are two players who realize that Sunday might be their chance to shine along the defensive line. And playing a young and winless team - Cleveland (0-4) - might be a good starting off point." Read more...

Excerpt: "To many, Sunday’s matchup between the winless Cleveland Browns and the defending champion New York Giants has ‘Survivor Pool Pick’ written all over it. The Giants have never started worse than 5-2 under coach Tom Coughlin. And the Browns have not given the Cleveland faithful much reason for hope in the past few years.

But don’t dismiss this game just yet.

The last time these two teams played, the defending champion Giants strutted into Cleveland Browns Stadium on Monday Night Football with a 4-0 record and left with an embarrassing 35-14 defeat. And it was this same week last season when the Seattle Seahawks traveled to the east coast as double-digit underdogs and pulled off an equally stunning 36-25 upset in front of the New York home crowd.

With an unforgiving schedule and high hopes for this season, the Giants can ill afford to take the Browns lightly. And despite their 0-4 record, Cleveland has gone toe-to-toe with three teams that are currently 3-1. Don’t be surprised if one of the matchups below decides the outcome." Read more...